Compressor apparatus



Nov. 14, 1967 J. ALLEN I 3,35

COMPRESSOR APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR.

444M wacra Nov. 14, 1967 J. L. ALLEN 3,352,433

COMPRESSOR APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1966 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UnitedStates Patent 3,352,483 COMPRESSOR APPARATUS John L. Allen, 1960Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass. 02166 Filed Apr. 7, 1966, Ser. No.540,960 4 Claims. (Cl. 23079) ABSTRACT OF 'IHE DISCLOSURE Compressorapparatus having supporting means including a housing, an impellerrotatable in the housing, and a hollow valve plug fixed in the housingand extending into the impeller, said housing, impeller and valve plughaving passages or openings whereby communication be tween them iseffected to permit the flow of a lubricant for the moving parts.

This invention relates to compressor apparatus.

Reference is made to my Patent No. 2,599,149, dated June 3, 1952, forCompressor Apparatus.

One object of my invention is to provide improvements over the apparatusdisclosed in said Patent No. 2,599,149 particularly in apparatuses thatare relatively large.

Since the demand for fresh water purified from ocean water is in growingdemand there is a requirement for larger compressor apparatuses andwhich in turn present problems such as keeping the machinery fullylubricated. Accordingly one of my objects is to provide means in suchlarger compressor apparatuses to lubricate the more important parts byintroducing water into the body of such apparatuses where there aremoving parts.

Another object is to provide means whereby all portions of said movingparts will be uniformly lubricated with water by providing variousinlets and grooves to receive and maintain lubricating water at alltimes.

A further object is to provide such means that are simple to provide insaid apparatuses, are relatively inexpensive, and are certain tofunction steadily for indefinite periods of time.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of theinvention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction,combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by thedrawings. The nature of the invention is such as to render itsusceptible to various changes and modifications, and therefore, I amnot to be limited to the construction disclosed by the drawings nor tothe particular parts described in the specification; but am entitled toall such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, sectional view of my compressor apparatus, themotor being shown in full lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of a portion of avalve plug.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of another portion ofsaid plug.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, top plan view of a lubricating member formingpart of said plug.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5.

As illustrated, my compressor apparatus has actuating means shown as awell-known electric motor 10 having the usual shaft 12 and supported bya base 14 that is held by studs 16 to a cover plate 18 that forms thetop of supporting means 20. This latter has an outer member 22 held bystuds 24 to said cover plate 18- Said supporting means 20 has a bottomplate 26 that is held by screws 28 to said outer member 22. Saidsupport- 3,352,483 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 ing means has an impellerhousing 30 of oval shape having a vertical supply passage 32 extendingtherethrough and into said bottom plate 26, and which supplies water forlubricating purposes that flows through a hole 33 in said cover plate 18and which receives a conduit fixture, not shown, to make connection withwater from an outside source.

A branch passage 34 in bottom plate 26 extends horizontally from saidpassage 32 at the end of which is a bronze bearing 36 through whichpassage 34 continues and which contacts a rotating impeller steelbearing ring 38 later referred to. Another passage 42 in bottom plate 26communicates with and extends horizontally from said passage 32 andcommunicates with a circular groove 44 formed in a valve plug 46 laterdescribed to provide circulation of water to provide a lubricant andwater seal around said plug.

A hollow, stationary valve plug 46 has an upper plate 47 welded to closesaid plug. Said shaft 12 has a collar 48 that rotates with it androtatably extends into said cover plate 18. Said collar 48 joins arotating impeller body 50 that has upper and lower end plates 51 and 51aand carries said steel ring 38. Impeller blades 52 extend outwardly fromsaid body 50 and are spaced apart. A key 53 in said shaft 12 connectsthe latter to said collar 48.

Said plug 46 has two elongate grooves 58 and 58a which respectivelyreceive lubricating members 56 and 56a that are welded to and form partof said plug. Each said member 56 and 56a has respectively alongitudinal interior passage 62 and 62a therein. Passages 62 and 62acommunicate with groove 44 in said plug 46. Said members 56 and 56a alsohave peripheral holes 60 and 66:1, respectively, that communicate withsaid passages 62 and 62a, respectively. Thus water will be delivered andcirculate between said plug 46 and said impeller body 50 to serve as alubricant as the impeller rotates.

Said plug 46 also preferably has a group of peripheral notched grooves66 therein extending longitudinally, and opposite them is another groupof similar grooves 68. Water passes into said grooves 66 and 68 toprovide further lubrication between said body 50 and plug 46.

Below and communicating with said plug 46 is a large conduit 72 thatextends downwardly to a well-known still not shown. This conduit 72 hasa flange 74 that fits tightly into said bottom plate 26.

Said plug 46 has two dividers 82 and 84 which provide a central chamber86 for the discharge of steam from the compressor. Two chambers 88 and90 at opposite sides thereof receive steam vapor from below duringsuction strokes of said impeller blades 5 In said plug 46 at theperiphery are two ports 92 and 92:: which serve as discharge ports forchamber 86, and it has two ports 94 and 94a that respectively serve assuction or intake ports for chambers 88 and 90. The ports 92 and 92acommunicate with water spaces 98 and 98a later described and with saidcentral chamber 86 on the discharge stroke. The ports 94 and 94acommunicate with said spaces 98 and 98a and said chambers 88 and 99 onthe suction or intake stroke.

Between the outer ends of said impeller blades 52 and said impellercasing member 30 is a crescent shaped water space 98, and anothersimilar space 93a opposite thereto. They serve as water seals. Vapor isdrawn into the compressor at the completion of the compression strokethat discharges steam from the compressor through said central chamber86. At the wider portions of said spaces 98 and 98a vapor entersthereinto during all of the suction stroke which draws it into throughchambers 88 and 90.

Said impeller body 50 has ports 104 there being one between every twoblades 52 and which at some time during rotation of the impellercommunicate with said ports 92, 92a, 94 and 94a in said plug 46.

What I claim is:

1. Compressor apparatus comprising supporting means having an impellerhousing, a hollow valve plug in said housing fixedly supported by saidmeans and having a peripheral groove extending completely around saidplug, an impeller rotatably mounted in said housing and outside saidplug, said impeller and plug having provision whereby they communicateto permit fluid to pass between them, said supporting means having afirst passage therein adapted to communicate with an outside source offluid, said means having a branch passage communieating with andextending angularly from said first passage and communicating with saidplug groove, said plug having an interior passage therein extendingangularly from said plug groove and having holes extending from itsperiphery inwardly and communicating with said interior .passage, andactuating means operably supported by said supporting means andconnected to said impeller.

2. Compressor apparatus comprising supporting means having an impellerhousing, a hollow valve plug in said housing fixedly supported by saidmeans and having a peripheral groove, an impeller rotatably mounted insaid housing and outside said plug, said impeller and plug havingprovision whereby they communicate to permit fluid to pass between them,said supporting means having a first passage therein adapted tocommunicate with an outside source of fluid, said means having a branchpassage communicating with and extending angularly from said firstpassage and communicating with said plug groove, said plug having aninterior passage therein extending angularly from said plug groove andhaving holes extending from its periphery inwardly and communicatingwith said interior passage, actuating means operably supported by saidsupporting means and connected to said impeller, and a first bearing insaid supporting means, said impeller having a bearing extendingcircumterentially around it and adjacent said first bearing, saidsupporting means having another branch passage communicating with andextending angularly from said first passage, said 4-. first bearingbeing positioned at the end of said other branch passage and having apassage therethrough extending to said impeller bearing whereby fluidmay flow between said two bearings.

3. Compressor apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said plug having aplurality of notched grooves in the peripheral surface thereof extendinglongitudinally whereby fluid from said plug holes will enter saidnotched grooves.

4. Compressor apparatus comprising supporting means having an impellerhousing, a hollow valve plug in said housing fixedly supported by saidmeans and having a peripheral groove, an impeller rotatably mounted insaid housing and outside said plug, said impeller and plug havingprovision whereby they communicate to permit fluid to pass between them,said supporting means having a first passage therein adapted tocommunicate with an outside source of fluid, said means having a branchpassage communicating with and extending angularly from said firstpassage and communicating with said plug groove, said plug having aninterior passage therein extending angularly from said plug groove andhaving holes extending from its periphery inwardly and communicatingwith said interior passage, and actuating means operably supported bysaid supporting means and connected to said impeller, said plug having alongitudinal, peripheral groove therein, a lubricating member extendinginto said plug latter groove and having said interior passage thereinand said holes communicating with said interior passage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,211,316 8/1940 Blom et al.230-79 2,302,747 11/1942 Dardelet 230-79 2,599,149 6/1952 Allen 230*793,643,497 7/ 1962 Gabbioneta 230-79 FOREIGN PATENTS 522,920 10/1953Belgium.

HENRY F. RADUAZO, Primary Examiner.

1. COMPRESSOR APPARATUS COMPRISING SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING AN IMPELLERHOUSING, A HOLLOW VALVE PLUG IN SAID HOUSING FIXEDLY SUPPORTED BY SAIDMEANS AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE EXTENDING COMPLETELY AROUND SAIDPLUG, AN IMPELLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND OUTSIDE SAIDPLUG, SAID IMPELLER AND PLUG HAVING PROVISION WHEREBY THEY COMMUNICATETO PERMIT FLUID TO PASS BETWEEN THEM, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING AFIRST PASSAGE THEREIN ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH AN OUTSIDE SOURCE OFFLUID, SAID MEANS HAVING A BRANCH PASSAGE COMMUNICATING WITH ANDEXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM SAID FIRST PASSAGE AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAIDPLUG GROOVE, SAID PLUG HAVING AN INTERIOR PASSAGE THEREIN EXTENDINGANGULARLY FROM SAID PLUG GROOVE AND HAVING HOLES EXTENDING FROM ITSPERIPHERY INWARDLY AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INTERIOR PASSAGE, ANDACTUATING MEANS OPERABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORTING MEANS ANDCONNECTED TO SAID IMPELLER.